Selene Serenity
by PJO Fan Power
Summary: Selene Lily Potter has always known she was different. However, a chance encounter at Gringotts Wizarding Bank shows her just how different she is. Strong, yet at the same time, hurt and weak, abandoned, but with a resolve to never be manipulated again. With her Metamorphmagus talents, among others, Selene will try to beat Voldemort, get through school, and fall in love! Fem!Harry
1. Chapter 1

Selene Lily Potter wasn't a normal girl. She knew that from a very young age. In fact, her relatives, the Dursleys, took great measure to ensure that she knew it. The many scars littering her body were a testament to that fact.

She had her first display of accidental magic when she was seven, when her aunt, Petunia, cut her hair extremely short. That night, after she had gone to sleep, her hair had grown back to its original length. While harmless, it was a sign to the Dursleys that their quiet attempts to snuffle the magic out of the girl weren't working.

Her second display of accidental magic was when she was eight. Her cousin, Dudley, had taken credit for one of the only things she took pride in; her art. She had left it out on the table before she went to bed in her cupboard. When she awoke, it had disappeared. She had thought that Petunia might've thrown it away, before she got to school and saw Dudley boasting about it to his friends.

The teachers, of course, knew that there was no way it was Dudley's, but did nothing about it. After all, they didn't like the red haired, green eyed girl either. She was creepy, in their collective opinions, simply sitting in the corner and reading, doing the bare minimum to participate in class. They didn't force her to participate, either, since she did everything perfectly.

After this incident, this caused them to completely ignore all the bullying the girl went through by her cousin and his friends. The girl's friends wouldn't come to her defense, either, namely since she had none.

The artwork, a picture of a sunset, quite beautiful, had exploded into flames with Dudley holding it. He dropped it immediately, but before he had, his fingers had experienced a little flaming themselves, which had forced "poor, poor Dudley" to be sent to the nurse. He had told his parents immediately when he had gotten home, and Selene was sent to her room immediately.

"No food for a week! Double the chores!" Her uncle, Vernon, had yelled. And he was completely serious, too. By the end of the seven days, she would've eaten dog food for some sort of sustenance. Water could only do so much. She lost six pounds that week, which was a crazy amount, considering she was under seventy already.

After that, they had taken to calling her "freak" instead of "girl", as they had before. _'Home is a place where you belong. I don't belong here.'_ With those thoughts, she had managed to dispel the blood wards around the house, although nobody would know for a long time. She started to spend more time at the library, reading things meant for adults, and getting lost in the stories. Her favorite series was the Chronicles of Narnia, books about magic and wondrous places far, far away.

About two years later, on the twenty-third of June, Dudley celebrated his eleventh birthday. The family was going to the zoo to celebrate. Vernon hadn't wanted her to come, in fact, none of them had. But there was nowhere else she could go. And she couldn't stay in the house, because, "She might infect it with her freakiness" according to her uncle.

They made sure that she knew that if she did anything to mess up their son's perfect little day, she would regret it. They didn't say how, although Selene knew it was because it couldn't get much worse than it already was. After all, she was fed twice a week, worked like a dog, emotionally and physically abused, and cramped into a tiny cupboard as if they could get rid of the thought of her if they tried hard enough.

She felt that there was no way that the day could get any worse. She was already lugging around twenty pounds of food with the knowledge that none of it was hers, in a place that she didn't want to be. The snake proved her wrong. Walking through the Reptile Exhibits looking for somewhere to sit down, Selene came across a peculiar snake. It didn't look special, it certainly didn't seem special, but she felt... drawn to it, somehow.

The snake hissed at her, the forked tongue sliding out of the narrow mouth. She couldn't hear anything special, but that was to be expected. Nobody talks to snakes, right? Well, Dudley caught up to her. And saw her staring at the snake, who was staring back. "A snake! Cool!" He bounded up to the glass separating the exhibit from the passerby, and, of course, starting pounding on it.

Selene was incredibly annoyed with all of it. As if all of the anger was suddenly focused into a single point, she tapped her foot into the ground. And the glass shattered. It fell straight to the ground, and Dudley fell backward, onto his butt. Selene didn't know how, but she could feel that she had directly caused the glass to shatter.

* * *

The zoo staff told them that it had been meaning to replace the glass on the reptile exhibits for years, and that all this was was a reminder that they should've done it sooner. Also, four free season passes were available to the family as a means of apologizing for the trouble.

The ride home was horrible for Selene. The tension in the car was thick and getting thicker, and by the time they got home, she felt like she was suffocating. Her uncle literally grabbed her around the neck and all but _tossed_ her into the cupboard. Bruises were already forming.

* * *

The next two weeks were horrid for her, both mentally and physically. She was doing chores almost eighteen hours a day, and was fed four times in the entire span. Her one break was near the end, when she was fetching the mail. A letter! To her! She didn't know who was writing to her, but she knew that she couldn't let Vernon or Petunia see it. And certainly not Dudley!

Hiding in her cupboard, she read the letter. Apparently, she was part of a "wizarding community" or something? And she was invited to some butchered animal place, "Hog warts" or something. Selene re-read that part. Apparently, it was "Hogwarts", and it was a school for magic.

She found it funny that someone actually thought that she would believe it. And she didn't. In fact, she forgot all about it until a gigantic man starting knocking on her door.

* * *

Hagrid had taken her to Gringotts and for some reason had left her with a goblin while he retrieved something. She supposed that it was confidential and didn't mind, as long as nobody kidnapped her. She internally laughed. Nobody wanted her. That was another lesson the Dursleys had taken pride in teaching her.

Suddenly a goblin ran up to the girl and goblin. "Manager Griphook wishes to see the Miss, Shellfang." Shellfang, who was apparently the goblin beside her, shrugged his shoulders and let the girl go forward.

The new goblin led her down the hall and up numerous stairways until they got to a wooden door, which the goblin knocked on. The door opened itself. Inside the room were dozens of shelves, and in the middle was a desk with a goblin behind it. The goblin looked up as they walked in.

"Miss Potter, I take it?" Selene nodded. "Why haven't you been returning our owls about your inheritance and monthly check-ups?" Selene blinked.

"I beg your pardon?" The goblin sighed.

"It is as I feared. Please, take a seat. This may take a while." He swung his hand and the door closed. "Miss Potter, Gringotts prides itself on its confidentiality, so anything we talk about mustn't leave this room. Got that?" Selene nodded. "Good. First off, I'm assuming you didn't receive any of our owls based on your reaction."

Selene shook her head. "No sir. I didn't even know magic existed until about two hours ago."

"What do you mean? Surely Madam Bones wouldn't have let you grow up magicless?" Selene stared at him.

"...Who?"

"What do you mean, who? Amelia Bones? Your legal guardian?"

"I think you must be mistaken, sir. Maybe you're looking for a different Miss Potter? I've been living with my aunt, uncle, and cousin ever since my parents died."

"Did they tell you how they died, Miss?"

"Of course. Drunk of their arses and in a car crash." The goblin stared at her.

"They told you that the great James and Lily Potter died drunk in a car crash?" He swore a few times in his native language. "James and Lily Potter were two of the only wizards that Gringotts has ever officially respected, as both Lord and Lady advocated for magical rights before their death. They did not die in a car crash. They were murdered at the hands of a dark lord, known most commonly as He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. As we are in Gringotts, I am confident in the wards, his name is Voldemort, but the word itself has a spell on it that alerts him to the location of when and where it is said. So, best not to use it."

"What do you mean Lord and Lady? Were they famous or something?"

"Or something?" He snorted. "They were the heads of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. Famous doesn't even begin to describe it. As you are their only living child, you are now the heiress of the House, as well as very, very rich."

"What do I do to claim all of this? An inheritance test?"

"Of some sort. In fact, we can do it now, if you'd like. Just prick your finger and let three drops of blood fall on this piece of parchment, and your belongings should pop up." Selene followed the instructions. It took a few seconds, but the words slowly started appearing on the page, getting faster and faster, until they suddenly stopped when the parchment was about four feet long, almost as tall as Selene herself. It read:

" **Selene Lily Potter - Heiress to House Potter, House Perevell, House Evans, House Gryffindor, and House Hufflepuff. Vault contents, adjusted for 2% interest over time - School fund for Selene Lily Potter - 228,601 Galleons, 2,431 Sickles, and 1,117 Knuts - Recent transactions by magical guardian in excess of 100,000 Galleons. Trust fund for Selene Lily Potter - 610,614 Galleons. Potter Family Vault - 112,567,219 Galleons, 4,582,991 Sickles, and 1,504,921 Knuts. Assorted artifacts, including chests of James and Lily Potter, and paintings of James and Lily Potter. Deed to Potter Manor and Manor in Godric's Hollow. Last will of James and Lily Potter, and Potter Family Ring. Perevell Family Vault - Invisibility Cloak, Time-Turner, and Tomes on forms of shapeshifting, deed to Perevell Ancestral Home, and Perevell Family Ring. House Evans - 25,000 British Pounds, Evans and Potters ancestry book, deed to undocumented manor in Wales. Gryffindor Vault - Right to 25% of Hogwarts, painting of Godric Gryffindor, and Gryffindor Family Ring. Hufflepuff Vault - Right to 25% of Hogwarts, painting of Helga Hufflepuff, and Hufflepuff Family Ring.**

 **Abilities:**

 **Metamorphmagus  
Animagus - Class 5  
Affinity for Light Magic  
Affinity for Grey Magic  
Affinity for Runes  
Affinity for Charms  
Affinity for Potions  
Affinity for Occlumency  
Affinity for Wandless Magic**

 **Physical and Mental States:**

 **Age - 10  
Malnourished - Fixable  
Abused  
24 Bruises - Healable  
Broken Left Leg - Healable  
Fractured Right Foot - Healable  
Broken Third Rib - Healable  
Broke Fifth Rib - Healable  
Numerous Fractured Ribs - Healable  
Numerous Cuts and Scrapes - Healable  
Internal Bruising on the Throat  
543 Scars - Healable  
Mental State - ...  
Shortsighted - Due to Malnourishment - Fixable  
DARK MAGIC - HORCRUX - ADVICE: INSTANT DESTRUCTION**

 **Magic State:**

 **Magic Reading: 97  
Core Size - 30% Developed  
Blocks on Core  
90% Magic Block (Affects Magic Reading) - Placed by Magical Guardian  
100% Ability Block - Placed by Magical Guardian  
99.9% Mail Block - Allows Letters with Hogwarts Seal - Placed by Magical Guardian  
Core Tracker - Placed by James Potter, required by Ministry of Magic"**

The girl stared at the document. "Who is my magical guardian?" A logical first question.

"Very wise, Miss Potter, going for the important question first. That would be Albus Dumbledore, who, quite frankly, we hate very much so. For all of his preaching about equality, he doesn't seem to like us too much. We don't like him too much either, and considering that you know nothing about the wizarding world, I'd be willing to bet that the..." He peered at the paper and tapped the recent transactions bar. "500,000 Galleons he took over the past few years hasn't made its way to you, which is also known as theft." He looked up slowly and smirked. "And we goblins don't deal too well with theft."

Selene laughed a bit. "Why did he only take it out of my school fund? There is much more money in my other accounts..." Griphook thought for a second.

"It didn't stop him from trying. Luckily, he had no access to the vaults, no matter what he did. That was a very funny day for us." He thought back to the Headmaster getting blasted out into the streets thanks to the wards rejecting him. Selene laughed, and then focused.

"And the other things?" Griphook quieted down.

"The other things... First off, how are you even standing, Miss Potter? You have a broken leg and a fractured foot. You shouldn't even be conscious! Perhaps..." He started mumbling to himself. "Perhaps your body has gone numb... a second, please." He started rummaging through the numerous cabinets before he finally pulled out a small device and pointed it at her. "9.2... how are you functioning?" She stared at him.

"I beg your pardon?"

"The pain! 9.2 is comparable to being covered in lava without being able to be killed by it! A full-powered Crucio is a 10! This device reads how much pain a wizard can currently feel... It doesn't register pain that the body has gone numb to. We need to get you medical support **now**." His voice left no room for argument.

* * *

Less than ten minutes later, Selene was on a table, surrounded by half a dozen goblins. She couldn't tell what they were doing. But it was painful. More painful than before. Torture. That's what it must have been, she thought. She screamed for them to stop. They didn't. Things inside her were shifting around, quite literally. Bones were rearranging themselves, regrowing themselves. Her eyes were moving without her doing anything. Curving to the slightest degree. But the most painful part of the process was when they got to her forehead.

Apparently, the scar was hiding a parasite - a manifestation of the Dark Lord's soul. And it had been there for ten years. And it did _not_ want to leave. It was like pulling a bullet out of someone's heart after it had already healed over completely and was half the size of said heart. She screamed. She cried. She begged for them to stop. It was torturous. It felt like hours upon hours, although it was under two minutes. Every cell of her body was on fire, rejecting everything that was being done to her. She was barely conscious enough to register the stop.

Then they got to her core, and it was much simpler. They snapped the chains, and power flooded her. It was like jumping into a pool after being on fire. It soothed the pain, numbed her body. Her eyes started pulsing with pure, raw, undiluted power. Her hair started flashing multiple colors before settling back into its original shade. A quick glance at the Magic Reader confirmed it. 970. And her core still had a ways to go before it was maxed. (She was told afterwards that the average for a teenage wizard or witch was about 250, for a reference point to her own power.)

* * *

They were back in Griphook's office. Selene was bouncing around, enjoying the feeling of actually being able to do things without pain, enjoying her flawless, unmarred skin. The fact that she could see perfectly fine, nothing was blurry anymore.

"You can, under no circumstances, go back to that house. We can send goblins to retrieve your things whenev-"

"I have no possessions. Just the clothes on my back."

"I would advise for you to never repeat that to anyone. The mere fact that a child, even more so, the savior of the wizarding world was abused, and had literally zero possessions would be a good chance for a war against the muggles." Griphook sipped his coffee. "War is bad for business..." He mumbled to himself. "A child is a wonderful thing in the wizarding world. The idea that a parent would abuse their own child willingly is a horrifying thought to wizards. Anyway, we can arrange for you to stay in Diagon Alley for the remainder of the break. It would be a great way to explain more about your power to you, and teach you some custom of wizards. We owe your parents that much, and respect any and all of our customers as long as they respect us back."

"Thank you so much! But I should probably go now... Hagrid is undoubtedly worried." Griphook waved his hand.

"Goblin magic is far superior to wizard magic in some aspects. For example, an hour in this room is a minute or so in the outside world. Currently, your friend Rubeus Hagrid is..." He checked a map on his desk, "Traveling to his vault, unaware that anything else has happened." He winced. "Looks like he doesn't like quick movements."

"What do the rest of my abilities mean?" Selene asked, suddenly interested.

"The affinities are easy to explain. You will simply be naturally gifted and learn those things easier. This includes Light magic, which is most, if not all of what you will learn at Hogwarts, Grey magic, which can be very powerful if you somehow find a teacher for it, although frowned upon by the magical community. For Runes, you will be able to write, read, and perform different runes better. Same with charms and potions. Occlumency is mental attack and defense, and I can't tell you more as I don't know that much about it myself. The animagus one... well, an animagus is someone who can transform themselves into another animal. Tier fives are the rarest, and you're the... third I've seen in my life. Tier fives are people who can transform into magical creatures. But, before you get all excited, it may not be a dragon or something like that. It may be a fairy, or some sort of magical insect. So don't get your hopes up. And metamorphmagus... well, that means that you can adjust your body's shape, size, color, really just about anything." He leaned close to her. "This can make you immortal, as you can replace blood cells and even organs. But... you didn't hear that from me." He leaned back. "Metamorphmagi are also naturally attracted to each other, and I know that there is another girl, two years older than you I believe. Quite... odd, but you'll know who it is when you see her. You might also be romantically attracted to her, but will most likely at the very least be friends with her. Lastly, with wandless magic, you'll be better at using spells with just your mind, with no wand as a focal point, and no words as a organizer."

"And..." she started, uncertain how to continue after being told all of her abilities. She tried her best. "of my new... state?"

He tapped twice on the scroll and it refreshed itself, re-listing her vaults and inheritances. At her Physical and Mental States, it showed nothing wrong with her, although it still wouldn't say anything on her mental state. She assumed it was her natural occlumency acting up, and sincerely hoped it didn't mean she was insane.

"Now then," Griphook spoke. "It seems your half-giant friend is coming back up. Lets get you out of here, Miss Potter."

* * *

Selene continued onto her other school shopping, carrying around a bag that was enchanted to be connected to her school fund vault that only she could draw out of.

Choosing her wand had been rather weird. It had taken so long, and then Mr. Ollivander had seemed dead-set on one, but she couldn't feel any connection, so she simply gave up and decided that she would get one custom made later that day.

She recieved her books at just over 100 galleons total, which she felt was slightly overpriced for required materials. Around 600 pounds, if she remembered correctly. She went to grab some ice cream for herself and Hagrid, and when she had come back, she found him with a snowy owl that was apparently an early birthday present. She hugged him as best as she could, tears streaming down her face. "I've never gotten a birthday present before!" She immediately decided to name the owl Belle, which meant beautiful in French, a language she had looked at when she was at school.

* * *

 **[Wand selection has been removed as it is the same thing over and over again. Sorry for anyone who wanted to see this!]**

Selene marveled at her new wand an hour after Hagrid left her at the station. 10 1/2 inches, very flexible. Cedar wood with a Veela hair core is what he had told her. The cedar represented loyalty, and an inability to be manipulated, while the Veela hair represented her rapidly changing mindset and mood, which might've been influenced by her metamorphmagus abilities.

She rented a room above the Leaky Cauldron for the next few weeks, learning simple things about wizards and goblins alike thanks to Griphook. He even told her how to get on to the platform, which was helpful. What good is knowing a destination with no way to get there? She read through her books multiple times. She wanted to be prepared as possible for school, just in case someone started quizzing her, expecting her to know everything since she was famous or something.

A few minutes later, she started walking through the platform at King's Station, before distantly hearing a woman shouting, "How do we get onto the platform?" and looking around wildly, as if she was looking for someone. _'Maybe even me.'_ Selene laughed internally before walking through the barrier with her cart of things shrunken, and Belle on her shoulder.

She got onto the train car in silence. She had been practicing her metamorphmagus abilities with Griphook. She could now change her hair and eye color at will for many hours, even through sleep, but things like facial and bone structures were much more difficult, although, maybe not as difficult as they might've been if her bones were all completely healthy.

Right now she was wearing a crimson silk dress with a straw hat and yellow band on top. She had changed her hair color to brown, and her eye color to pink.

A few minutes started to pass by, and the train was starting to warm up, ready to leave soon. Suddenly, the door slid open, and a feminine voice asked, "Mind if Cedric and I sit here? Zacharias is being a jerk." Selene lifted her head up, and her pink eyes stared into the pink eyes of Nymphadora "Don't call me that!" Tonks.

* * *

 _Ollivander's Notes_

 _The girl didn't want the wand. I wasn't even sure if it was the correct girl. She looked slightly different from what Albus had told me. Nevertheless, she didn't want the wand Albus told me would be perfect for her. She wasn't even 11, and she knew well enough to say no! It smelled like a trap from a mile away, and this reaction only set my suspicions in stone. I hope the girl will be able to find another wand-maker. It'll be hard to succeed without one._

* * *

 **Well... how do you like it? My longest chapter yet, and all for the first chapter of a new story! I didn't intend on it being this long, but it just kept spewing out more and more words. I already know which house Selene is going to be in, but I would appreciate it if you all would guess which one you think, and why!**

 **Finished at 1:38 AM on October 12th, 2018.**

 **Updated at 4:55 PM on October 14th, 2018. Reason: Selene was called Holly.**

 **Total word count: 4,163 words**


	2. Chapter 2

_'Wingardium Leviosa!"_ \- Spells!

 **"Legilimency."**

 _ **"Gryffindor!/Hufflepuff!/Ravenclaw!/Slytherin!" Sorting Hat Talking Aloud**_

* * *

The rest of the train ride was relatively uneventful thanks to a quick freezing spell on the door that Selene silently vowed to learn. She spent the time learning more about the Hufflepuff duo. Nymphadora, which she quickly learned preferred to be called Tonks, was a seventh year Hufflepuff who was set on becoming an Auror when she graduated. To do so, she would apparently have to endure some... "greasy-haired, biased git." She was also the other Metamorphmagus that Griphook had been talking about (apparently he didn't really view time as important with his long lifespan, later being quoted saying "Two years, six years, same thing."). They had quite a bit of fun making different parts of their body change.

Cedric, on the other hand, was a fourth year, also a Hufflepuff. He was easily top of his grade, although Selene could immediately tell that he was far too trusting and kind. He didn't currently have plans beyond his school years, but shared with them that he was entertaining the thought of becoming a professional Quidditch Seeker. When she mentioned that she knew next to nothing about Quidditch, his face lit up and Tonks faked a groan.

"Now you've got him started!" All three laughed, while Cedric spent multiple hours of the eight-or-so hour long journey to Hogwarts explaining the ins and outs of his favorite past time. It was very enjoyable to listen to, and he was amazingly unbiased and factual about it. By the end (after getting over the fact that witches and wizards truly did ride on broomsticks), Selene was definitely interested in the sport, although she wasn't sure how excited she would be hundreds of feet in the air.

What she was excited about, though, was the fact that after the initial shock, neither teen was at all bothered by the fact that she was the Girl-Who-Lived. She figured that it might've been something to do with their loyalty as part of the house of Hufflepuff. Speaking of houses, she tried to pry some information of how they were sorted, but the two shared a look and laughed.

"You'll just have to wait and find out!" Tonks laughed.

* * *

Getting to the school, Selene hadn't been too impressed. _'Haven't they heard of restoration...?'_ Indeed, the walls seemed to have not been touched since their creation by anything other than time, as parts seemed to be crumbling in certain sections, and one of the four towers seemed to have collapsed in the centuries since the erection of the castle.

On the docks was where her two new friends had left her, promising to see her at the Sorting Feast. The boats looked like anything stronger than a light breeze would tear them apart, but managed to hold Selene and three other people just fine. Selene tried to ignore the other three people, although one kept going on about what his older brothers had told him the Sorting Feast would be like.

Sparing him a glance, Selene connected him to the large family from the station due to the flaring red hair. She also caught some snippets about a... troll? Then the conversation had abruptly changed to Quidditch while the boy kept prattling on about his favorite team, the Cannons. The girl sitting next to him sighed, seeming like she had heard this all before. She, too, had red hair, although it was nowhere near as fierce as the boy's, and Selene didn't remember her with rest of the family at the station.

Instead of listening, the girl was ferociously skimming through a copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ muttering, "Sorting... Sorting... Sorting..." She threw her hands up. "There's nothing here!" All of the sudden, the boy threw his arms up, apparently getting to an intense part of his story, rocking the boat. While the boat didn't capsize, the girl had to let go of her book to hold on to the bench as to not fall off. The book hit the side of the railing, teetered dangerously for a second, and then tipped over into the water.

Quickly, Selene drew out her wand. " _Accio_ Hogwarts: A History!" Oddly enough, she felt a tingling in her core as the magic started racing out, and a look at the boy sitting next to her's chest and all of the other boats rocking made her realize that her powerful magic was seeking out all of the _Hogwarts: A History_ books nearby, and she quickly cut off the magic flow. She turned to the girl, who was still staring into the murky waters. "What's your name?"

The girl stared at her. "Why do you care? I just lost my copy of-"

"What's your name?" Selene demanded again.

"Hermione Gra-" She was cut off by selling saying,

" _Accio Hermione's_ Hogwarts: A History!" The book shot up from the depths of the lake, splashing the noisy boy who had _still_ been telling his story, despite the facts that he might've just lost someone else's property AND nobody seemed to be listening.

The girl gasped as Selene handed her the dripping book. "Thank you! But what about the paper?" Selene just stared at her tiredly.

"Waterproof." The girls mouth formed a perfect "O".

"What was that spell?"

"You mean Accio?"

"Yeah."

"A simple summoning spell." And that was that.

* * *

Outside of the Great Hall, Selene ran into a platinum-blonde haired boy. The red haired boy, who had introduced himself as Ron, wouldn't leave her alone after finding out that she was "The Selene Potter", and was rambling on behind her, while Selene had finally learned how to tune him out to the best of her ability.

"Well well well, is this the great Selene Potter? My father told me you would be coming to the school this year. He's on the Board of Governors." He looked at the boy behind her. "And is that a Weasel-" He coughed. "I mean, _Weasley,_ I see?" He drawled. The boy got defensive.

"What's wrong with being a Weasley? Better than being a Snake!" The boy snorted.

"Other than the fact that they're all a bunch of blood traitors, the matron is crazy, and they've got more kids than Galleons to their name? Disgraceful, if you ask me. Why do you think the older two got out of the country as soon as they could? With a mother like her, I would too!" He started laughing. "And you, Potter. I would advise that you think better about your choice of friends. Certain friends in places better than," He jerked his head at Ron, " _his_ , although that's not saying much."

Selene raised an eyebrow. "Like who?" The boy smirked.

"A better option is standing right in front of you. Once again, would you like to try and pick better friends?" Selene rolled her eyes.

"Ron is not my friend. He's been following me around ever since we've gotten off the boats." Ron's face was one to die for, a mixture of anger, annoyance, and overall stupidity.

"But-"

"Leave me alone, Ron."

"I-" The other boy's smooth voice cut in.

"I believe she said "leave", Weasel. Now scram!" Ron glared at the other boy, but walked away all the same. The other boy, now alone with Selene, took her hand and brushed his lips against it. "Draco Malfoy, at your service."

Selene jerked her hand back. "Well, _Draco_ , as thankful as I am to you for driving that insufferable git away, I really don't know where your mouth has been, although, if I had to guess based on that smudge on your cheek, it'd be eating chocolate frogs." He hurriedly brought his hand up and wiped his mouth, blushing.

"Well, either way, you're welcome. But remember, you owe me a favor." He laughed awkwardly. "I do hope to get to know you better, Selene, as long as you don't end up in Gryffindork, where that brat will undoubtedly go. However, the cat is back," He nodded towards the returning figure of McGonagall, "so I'd assume that we're about to be sorted. Unfortunately, my father still won't tell me how we are sorted. All I know is that I'll be in Slytherin, hopefully. Ravenclaw'd be acceptable, but a Hufflepuff or a Gryffindor would get me disowned for sure." Selene raised an eyebrow at the boy while they started filing into the Great Hall.

"I've already covered what's wrong with Gryffindor's House, but what's wrong with Hufflepuff?" Selene asked. The boy scratched his cheek.

"Well, there's nothing _wrong_ , per se, but there's nothing extraordinary about it either." Selene shrugged her shoulder.

"I think that there's nothing wrong with being sure that you'll always have someone who will have your back as long as you have theirs." Draco thought about it for a moment.

"I suppose so. Whe-"

"Abbott, Hannah!" A girl started walking towards the front of the room, presumably Hannah. Draco tilted his head to get a better view. Selene, unfortunately, couldn't see.

"A hat? Disappointing. I was hoping it would be more of a test of skill." Selene slumped down, disappointed as well. "I guess we'll see what house you're in, soon enough."

The girl from the boat, Hermione Granger, took a few minutes to be sorted before the hat finally called, _**"Gryffindor!"**_ It took less than a second after the hat touched Draco's head for it to call out **_"Slytherin!"_** Selene smiled at Draco, who smiled back. A few turns later, it was time for Selene.

"Potter, Selene!" McGonagall cried out. Immediately, chatter ceased, and whispers broke out through the hall. Selene forced herself to keep a straight face as she walked up to the hat. She sat down on the stool, which she noted was incredibly comfortable, and McGonagall placed the hat on her head.

For a few seconds, it was silent. Then...

 **"Impressive Occlumental barriers, Miss Potter."** Selene blushed.

 _'Sorry about that.'_ She thought.

 **"Not a problem. Looking through your head... it is most interesting. Not only are you the heir to two of the Founders, you are quite the anomaly. Brave, yet not rash. Courageous, yet reserved. Just and loyal, yet by no means average. Not the most patient, either, but understandable. Wise and smart, but not interesting in learning, but more in knowing. Resourceful and ambitious, but not cunning. You'd rather lose the right way than win the wrong way. Plus, ol' Dumbledore would have my mouth sewn shut. Not that it matters, you wouldn't really fit in anyway."**

 _'I didn't realize that the Headmaster would do that to you... he seems kind enough. Out of all of them, please not Gryffindor.'_ Selene thought.

 **"You're nowhere near the first to be fooled by that. Not Gryffindor, eh? That's an odd request. In fact, that girl earlier wanted to go to Gryffindor because she thought that would be where you would be!"**

 _'Which one?'_ Selene wondered.

 **"Can't tell you that. Unto, are you sure about Gryffindor? He is one of your ancestors, and both of your parents were in there."**

 _'Good thing I'm not my parents.'_ was the snarky reply.

 **"All too true. Alright, so not Gryffindor, and not Slytherin... You wouldn't fare all too well in Ravenclaw. Most would be both jealous and suspicious of you..."**

 _'You can tell the future?'_

 **"To an extent, can't we all? Oh! Interesting question about the walls!"**

 _'I never asked any-"_

 **"I can read your mind, my dear. They haven't been restored because nobody since the founders have been able to touch them, not even the Headmaster himself. Perhaps, one day, you will be able to do so. However, this is not the time for that. If you ever do find the time, do come and find me and talk to me. It gets so lonely. Better be-"**

 _'What?'_ Selene thought. _'How am I supposed to find you?'_

 ** _"Hufflepuff!"_**

The entire hall erupted into cheers, although the Gryffindor table was being overshadowed by two kids groaning about how they "Didn't get Potter!" Ravenclaw was clapping politely, while the Slytherin group was looking on speculatively. Looking over at Draco, she thought she saw him smirk and nod, but he quickly turned back around.

As she approached the Hufflepuff table, they were undoubtedly clapping the loudest, making Selene blush as she made her way over to Tonks and Cedric. "Wotcher, Selene! Never a doubt!" Cedric helped her sit down, making her blush even more.

A few minutes later, with a few more names being called, Headmaster Dumbledore waited until one Zabini, Blaise sat down before standing up. After a quick mumble of _"Sonorus."_ He looked up. "Hello, students! To start this off, I would like to say a few words. And they are Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" Selene tilted her head to the side.

"Is he... crazy, perhaps?" She asked Cedric, who snickered.

"Just perhaps. But it's said that he's one of the strongest wizards ever, close to Merlin himself. Supposedly, his Magical Reading is over 2000!" Selene decided that it wouldn't be productive to mention that her readings by the time she left Diagon Alley were over 1100, her core finally adapting to the blocks on it being removed. She turned back to the front just in time to catch the old man saying,

"-come back Professor Quirrel, who will now be teaching our Defense Against the Dark Arts classes!" This was met with a round of applause. Apparently, whatever he had taught before, he had done it well. "Please do also remember that the Forbidden Forest is, indeed, forbidden, and do stay away from the Third-Floor Corridor unless you wish to die a slow and painful death. Enjoy the food!" He smiled and sat down, clapping his hands along the way, making dozens upon dozens of trays and bowls of food appear on the tables.

"Well isn't that a red-flag..." Selene muttered.

"What was that?" Tonks asked, only half-listening.

"He didn't explain the part about the corridor in the slightest, making it appear more interesting to us. If he really wanted us to stay away, he would've given us reasons as to why. Knowledge of the forbidden without reasoning-" She was cut off by Cedric,

"Increases curiosity." He shrugged. "My father says that all the time, and he really isn't wrong. Whatever it is though, it seems like a trap. For whom, though, is the question."

Selene looked up at the Head Table, her eyes sweeping over the table. Looking at Professor Quirrel, she felt a slight discomfort in her forehead, but it was barely more than a tingling, so she ignored it. The man beside him, however, was staring right at her, glaring as if she was everything wrong with the world.

Tonks looked at her staring. "Ah, so I see you've found Professor Snape. He's the greasy-haired git I was telling you about. If you aren't a Slytherin, you're the scum of the Earth to him. He's probably so mad that he has to teach me for another year, that's why he's glaring." Selene found herself hoping so, because she wasn't sure what she had done to offend him.

"Well, classes start tomorrow." Cedric said, yawning slightly. "Ready to go to the common rooms? We can show you the way in." Selene found herself nodding and standing up, the other two following suit.

The walk wasn't particularly eventful, unless you count Tonks stumbling over the intangible step on one of the stairways. They finally got to a set of inconspicuous barrels stacked in a pile. "Alright," Cedric started, "all you have to do is tap your wand on the left barrel of the second row twice and say 'Helga Hufflepuff'." Selene thought she heard Tonks snickering, but ignored it. She did what he said and tapped her wand on the barrel. The top slid off, and she slowly looked in...

Only to be showed in a spray of vinegar! Behind her, Cedric and Tonks were laughing openly. Selene growled, "Hardee-har-har... now do you want to clean this off of me before I hex both of you into next week!" Tonks stopped laughing long enough to send a,

" _Scourgify!_ " her way, and then stepped forward and tapped on another barrel saying the name of the original Head of House, and then jumped in. Cedric pointed an arm at her and then to the barrel. He then stepped close to her and whispered in her ear,

"Ladies first." Selene, blushing like mad, all but jumped into the barrel, and slid down into the Hufflepuff Common Room. A few seconds later, Cedric came down as well. Selene, finally getting over her anger, giggled.

"Any other secrets I should know about?" Tonks winked.

"Well, there's a secret entrance to the kitchens from here, although I won't tell you where, and a balcony outside one of the windows that doesn't get cold. Cedric?"

"Hmm... a secret passage or two from the boys' dormitories to the girls' changing rooms and showers, some self-repairing magical chess sets are underneath all of the sidetables, and... that's about it." He started walking to the boys' dorms. "Well, I'm going to get settled in. Enjoy yourself, you two." Tonks and Selene finally realized what he had said.

"Passages to the girls' changing rooms?!" They shouted, but he had already closed the door behind him.

* * *

 _Dumbledore's Notes_

 _I was hoping for the girl to go into Gryffindor so she could stay around Ronald. It would've made both so much easier to manipulate, and a possible way into the Potter Vaults... She also took over three minutes with the Hat. I'm slightly worried about what it might've possibly said to her, but I hope it will be fine. Hufflepuff wasn't a bad thing either, we just need to make sure that her loyalty is to me. If not by natural means, a few confundus charms and a loyalty potion or two will do the trick. I will also have to have Severus break down her barriers so I can swoop in like a hero. All for the Greater Good, of course._

* * *

 **Well... that's chapter two! Nearly 3,100 words of content exactly (3,099), and definitely a bit of plot coming into play here. I decided against having it be a Fem!Harry/Tonks story, simply because the age difference was enough to make me uncomfortable, and keeping Tonks in for five of the years would be a challenge. I don't know about Cedric or Draco, although I can tell you for sure that they will both be friends, or at least not enemies.**

 **All of that information about the entrance to the Hufflepuff was actually correct, not some random stuff I made up. Be proud of me!**

 **Is there truly a tunnel from the boys' dorms to the girls' changing rooms and showers? It's Hogwarts, how surprised would you honestly be? Maybe that'll be a fun little idea for later, although I'd probably have to change the rating to M...**

 **Thanks for reading! -PJO Fem Power**

 **Finished: 2:23 AM, 12/10/2018**

 **Total Word Count: 3,285 Words.**


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning saw Selene going over her schedule with Tonks. "Ah, bummer, you've got double-potions with Ravenclaw and Snape, the greasy-haired git. First thing in the morning, too." Around them, people were slowly starting to crowd into the Common Room.

"What's so bad about Snape?" Selene questioned. Tonks had been going on about the man, with Cedric agreeing with most of the subjects.

"Well... nothing," Tonks started, "if you're a Snake. He's the Slytherin Head of House, you see, and a right biased one at that. If you're from any other house, Gryffindor especially, he absolutely hates you. I'd take it that, since you're a celebrity, he'll probably target you to pick on. He's like... a schoolground bully who never grew up, or maybe a bullied little runt who finally got power and abuses it."

"That sounds horrid! How can someone like that be a teacher?" Selene asked with shock written all over her face. Tonks snorted.

"Trust me, it gets even worse. But we have to head to breakfast now, wouldn't want to miss it!" The older girl grinned. "Race ya' there!"

* * *

At breakfast, which was slightly less grand than the feast the night before, Selene managed to start forming friendships with a few of the other people in her year. More specifically, Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott, who had been friends with each other for many years before Hogwarts, as well as Neville Longbottom, who was the heir apparent to the House of Longbottom, but seemed to lack any sort of self-respect befitting of an heir.

After breakfast, Selene started off to her first class, which was with Snape. The name filled her with simultaneous anger and dread. The man seemed horrible, but she was worried with how he was going to treat her with her "celebrity" status.

However, the man took one look at her and went pale, as if he had seen a ghost. Considering the man's complexion already, this was an extraordinary feat. After he had taken role, in which he had barely managed to spit her name out, he entirely ignored her. He started into a speech about how "different" potion making was from everything else at Hogwarts, which Selene had to agree with. However, completely contrary to his supposed passion about the subject, he just wrote some instructions on the bored and left them to teach themselves,

Throughout class, he sulked around - for there was really no other word to describe it. He complimented a few people's potions, mostly Ravenclaws, and a single Hufflepuff, which was Susan Bones. Selene saw what was going on there - Susan's aunt, Amelia Bones, was head of the DMLE, or the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. If Snape had been as cruel as Tonks had suggested, there was no chance that the DMLE _wouldn't_ be notified, and that would've been the end of his career. When the man got to her, he looked at her potion, which was still incomplete, and simply sneered. She figured that he wouldn't say anything with Susan so close, but she had seen the insult on his lips. It seemed that Tonks had been right.

As the group was filing out of class, Selene was called back inside. "Miss Potter. I can see you are already gathering your group of followers." Snape spoke to her, glaring at her as if daring her to interrupt. She didn't. "I will say this once, and only once. Your fame means nothing to me. You mean nothing to me. Do not expect special treatment, Miss Potter, as it will not be given." Selene simply nodded, almost surprising the professor.

"I understand, professor." The man glared at her like she was the scum of the earth.

"Good. Get out of my classroom, you nitwit. I have actually important matters to attend to." Selene held her tongue at the unfairness of that statement.

"Yes, professor."

* * *

The rest of the day seemed to pass uneventfully, however Selene still thought back to the potions lesson. For some reason, she couldn't help but think that Professor Snape hated her with a burning passion. She was probably incredibly lucky that Susan had waited for her.

She got settled into her classes, thankfully none of them were as horrible as Potions. She had History with Binns, who was dreadfully boring, but she was able to read through the entire textbook he was reciting from during the class periods, as well as work on homework. Her transfiguration classes were much more exciting, but Professor McGonagall had been watching like a hawk... er, a cat the entire time, so there was no room for straying and practicing.

The next few Transfiguration lessons after they got through the basics proved to be much more fun, now that the catlike Professor was satisfied they wouldn't turn themselves into stone or something of the like.

By far, her most exciting class was Charms with Professor Flitwick, who seemed to have great knowledge of his subject, and a personality to match. He was very short, yet very eccentric. He clapped with joy the first time she walked into his class, proclaiming, "Your mother was a natural at charms. With any luck, you'll be performing with excellence!" With a solemn nod and a willful whisper, Selene noted,

"I think I've used up most of my luck already, Professor." And went to her seat. The short Professor had frowned for a minute before smiling again and introducing himself to the class, as well as demonstrating a charm used to replicate things to send class overviews throughout the classroom. The next few Charms classes were similar, with lots of hands-on activities. Flitwick was indeed a very knowledgable Professor, and, when Selene concentrated while looking near his desk, she could see a few trophies sitting on shelves, but they seemed... blurry, almost. She wondered what they were for.

Flying was amazing, in Selene's very modest opinion. Cedric had already told her so much about being on a broom that her first time felt like she was recovering a long-awaited memory. The first lesson was more about respecting the broom than anything else, which Selene found odd. The school brooms seemed ancient, as if they had been there since the building of the school itself. Based on how much of the Wizarding World Selene had seen so far, there was a possibility that this was accurate.

Of course, someone had to screw it up. Neville Longbottom had somehow managed to make his broom start flying on accident, which suggested that he had very strong, possibly untapped magic. After all, the magic of the broom connected to the rider, which was how they worked. The stronger a witch or wizard was, the faster their broom could move, and the better it would respond to thoughts and feelings. Of course, each broom had its limitations, which was why the industry was so big.

However, the heir apparent could not muster up the courage to come back down, and kept floating higher, despite the instructor, Madam Hooch's voice telling him to come back down. The poor lad didn't have enough knowledge of how the broom worked, he just kept floating higher and higher. Oddly, despite being a pureblood, it seemed like he had never, or at least, only rarely, been on a broom before.

Eventually, he became unstable enough and nervous enough to the point where his hands slipped, and so did his body. Madam Hooch, having anticipated this because she was a logical human being who could see exactly where the situation was going to go, was ready with a cushioning charm, as well as a few choice words for the poor boy. Standing up and dusting both of them off, the instructor stated to the class that she was going to bring Neville to the Hospital Wing.

"Since you have all practiced summoning and mounting your brooms, you may take a quaffle and toss it to a group. I will be maintaining a close watch on you, and if anyone goes more than 10 feet above the ground, I'll bite my own foot off if I don't see you expelled!" Susan, Selene, and Hannah all exchanged smiles. Internally, Selene cheered. It felt... nice to be accepted. The little group that she had made far from the influence of the Dursleys was a new sensation that was very, very welcome.

Selene had quite a bit of fun catching and tossing the quaffle with the other two girls, although the catching part seemed infinitely more fun than throwing it again. It felt very natural to just grab it and cradle it in her arms for a little bit, and she actually felt a bit sad whenever she sent it off again. However, the sadness was immediately outweighed by the joy she felt overall.

She was incredibly glad that she liked Quidditch and flying in general. After all the hype that Cedric had put on it, she would've probably been incredibly sad if she had turned out to be disappointed by the class.

Defense Against the Dark Arts, however, was a joke. An absolute farce. The professor, Professor Quirrel, quoted straight from the book, and assigned about five minutes of homework a class. Predictably, it was the work from the book, and as such, was finished by most of the class before the period was even over. Selene had heard about his confrontation with Albanian vampires, as well as the curse, She figured that the demand for DADA professors every year was too high to skip over someone, especially former faculty, but she couldn't imagine him fighting against his own shadow, let alone an evil wizard.

Herbology is where things took an interesting turn. As Susan and Hannah had partnered up almost immediately, which left Selene with Neville. And, surprisingly enough, Herbology happened to be an area in which Neville excelled. Despite his performance in other subjects, which had been... mediocre, at best, he was in fact very good with plants.

Selene was determined to make sure this information was put to good use. Namely, by using it to encourage him in other subjects. It started with potions. Under her watchful eye, she helped him connect the similarities between the two subjects. However, due to the (rather frightening) presence of Snape, progress was rather slow.

* * *

"So, Severus, what is there to report? Would you like a lemon drop?"

"No, Albus. You know my hands are tied with the girl." The ever-present twinkle in the headmaster's eye dimmed ever so slightly.

"Ah, yes, Madame Bones' niece does prove an unexpected problem. Perhaps you could find a more... private way to antagonize young Miss Potter? Detention, perhaps?" Severus Snape was a person of few morals, but this request made him grit his teeth. He reluctantly nodded his head, and did his best to disguise his disgust with the idea with disgust of spending time with the girl. Two months had given him a clearer view of the girl, although he still felt like she was hiding a lot from them.

"As soon as possible, I'm assuming." Dumbledore nodded.

"And... anything from Tom?" The Potions Master resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Quiet, as it has been for the past ten years."

"Alright. Tea?" The eyes had to roll.

"No. Goodbye, Albus." He turned around and headed to the stairs, his cape billowing behind him.

"Toodles, Severus!" The aging man called as the other man left. In the stairwell, Severus grit his teeth. _'Damn, I hate his voice.'_

* * *

September passed, and the end of October rolled around. On the day of the thirty-first, the decorations in the Great Hall were indeed very pretty, but Selene couldn't bring herself to care. Halloween held no good memories for her. The entire day was dull and colorless. She drudged through classes, and all but tossed herself onto the bench of the Hufflepuff Table for the dinner feast.

Now, many things could be used to describe Selene, and 'objectively dense' was one of them. She managed to entirely overlook simple things.

"Where d'ya think Neville is?" Selene asked Susan, who seemed downcast. The boy hadn't been seen in over two hours. Susan didn't respond, but a fellow Hufflepuff did.

"I heard he was practicing casting on one of the lower floors. Asked not to be disturbed." Selene thanked the housemate for this information, and thought for a second.

"Wonder why he didn't want to be disturbed?" Hannah sighed, and Susan lifted her head to show red eyes and dried tear streaks down her face.

"Did you ever think that maybe you're not the only person who lost their parents, Selene?" Susan's voice was soft, and dangerous. All at once, a dozen things clicked into place, and Selene's eyes widened.

"Oh, Susan-" She was cut off by Susan standing up and striding quickly out of the Great Hall. Selene looked to Hannah for reassurance, but Hannah just greeted her with a sad smile before looking down to her food. Selene got to her feet, intent on following the young Bones, before she was interrupted by the main doors being thrown open. Who to come in but...

Professor Quirrel. He came running in very spectacularly, only to stop in the middle of the hall, raise his head, and meekly say, "Troll in the dungeons. Just thought you should know," before fainting.

Students stared for a good three seconds before panic and mass hysteria set in. Stepping in quickly, Headmaster Dumbledore's voice echoed throughout the Great Hall. "Students, stay in your seats! Prefects, have your students gather up and head to their common room," at this, Professor Snape and most of the entirety of the house of Slytherin glared at the headmaster, "and by no means should any student wander off on their own."

Whispers broke out throughout the room. One of the Hufflepuff prefects muttered under his breath, "He does realize that the Slytherin common rooms are _in_ the dungeons, right?" A Ravenclaw spoke across the gap between tables.

"Of course he does. He just doesn't care." A Hufflepuff with, apparently, little regard to his life, Zacharias Smith, spoke up.

"He shouldn't. Slytherins are dark wizards. Everyone knows that. Any family with a Slytherin in it is a disgrace, and-" The boy was cut off.

"Wasn't _your_ great-uncle a Slytherin, Zachariah?" The aforementioned boy blushed a deep red, before stammering out a weak 'no'.

Suddenly, one of the Hufflepuff prefects swept by and started gathering them up, and it was only in the hallways outside the hall that Selene gasped. Turning to Hannah, she exclaimed, "Susan and Neville don't know about the troll!" Hannah's eyes widened.

"We should tell-" She was cut off by Selene.

"Screw that, we need to find them!" Staying behind as the rest of the class rounded a corner, the duo quickly rushed down the stairs to the dungeons. Surprisingly, they didn't see a single Slytherin as they rushed through the tunnels.

"How are we going to find Susan and Neville? Are we even sure that Susan is down here?" Selene thought for a second.

" _Homenum Revelio_!" Selene incanted with a flick of her wand. Originally, all she could detect was Hannah beside her, but pouring more magic into it, she found two figures down the hall from them, all the way at the other end. Not being in tune enough to entirely stop the magic flow entirely, Selene accidentally put a little too much magic into it and picked up dozens of signatures back in the Great Hall. She stopped the spell, but not quick enough to escape the backlash as she fell to a knee, clutching her head, her skull pounding.

Shakily standing back up, she meet Hannah's worried eyes and gave a slight smile, indicating that she was fine. "They're at the other end of this hall, I think." Hannah rolled her eyes.

"You think?" She parroted, sticking her tongue out at the younger girl, who just rolled her eyes. They started rushing down the hall, their footsteps echoing, eventually ending up at the door to the classroom that Selene had detected the two in. Opening it, they did indeed find the two, who seemed to be in the middle of a... spar? They were using low level magic, but definitely against each other. As soon as she opened the door, the door stopped and looked at the new duo joining them. Susan looked much better, as well as Neville.

Hannah's eyes widened. "You two! You guys will have to pause whatever this is, but there's a-" Her speech was cut off by a load thud echoing throughout the castle. "-troll in the dungeons..." As if summoned by her words, the wall nearest to the corridor outside the classroom was suddenly blown to pieces by a large wooden club. The three girls and boy quickly ran to the back of the classroom to avoid the troll.

The troll was a massive creature, with puke-green skin, a strip of cloth covering his bits, and a real bad case of B.O. The giant club, if it could be called that, was more like a tree trunk, given how tall it was. Behind her, Neville's eyes went up into their sockets before coming back down, and a weird stench came from his legs.

Selene spoke, her voice wavering uncertainly, "Susan, Hannah, any ideas?"

"Neville and I are magically exhausted... I don't want to die..." She whimpered the last part. At hearing this, Neville became even more scared, if possible.

Selene nodded her head, understanding. "Hannah, do you know any shield spells?"

"Just Protego, but I can't cast it..." Selene clicked her tongue, but just sighed.

"Alright, guess it can't be helped... _Incendio_!" A spurt of green flames rushed towards the troll, managing to catch its cloth on fire. At that point, the troll's pea-sized brain took control and decided to put out the flames by smacking them out. This would've been fine, of course, except for the _very_ important fact of what that cloth was covering, and how little it protected it.

The troll's eyes went wide, and the four children watching all winced, Neville especially.

" _Wingardium Leviosa_!" Selene continued, picking up the club and whirling it into the troll's face. This, combined with the brutal strike it had given itself, was far too much for the troll to bear, and the monster fell into the wall of the neighboring room, destroying half of the boundary. Selene huffed, and caught her breath for a few seconds.

All of the sudden, they could hear footsteps thundering down the hallway, which turned out to be the heads of houses, along with the Headmaster. McGonagall got to them first. "Miss Potter-!"

* * *

 **Hope you all liked this chapter! I really worked hard on this one, doing a couple hundred words for a few days and it turned out like this, and I couldn't be happier! As always, feel free to hit me with a PM, Review, Follow, or Favorite, and I will be eternally pleased! *note: eternally being for about fifteen minutes because I'm a review whore, refunds not possible.***

 **Extra note to early readers: I have changed the powers on the power level from the first and second chapters, because Selene was OP as heck, and that's not what I was entirely intending to happen. So far, I want to have her around the power of Dumbledore and Voldemort, maybe a little higher, or a little lower.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! I have decided to try and make this story go quickly, and I'm unsure of how far I want it to reach, but assume it spans multiple years, possibly about 15 chapters per year, with each chapter being 2-4k words, or about 30-40k words per year. I'm not sure if this is possible, but... rejoice! Updates will be more regular now, because this author now has their own laptop! I can't give an exact schedule due to the multiple stories, but I will do my best!**

* * *

By mid-November, the novelty of Halloween's troll incident had worn off, in part due to the two weeks of detentions Selene was serving alongside her three "co-conspirators", according to Snape. They had each been assigned their own individual tasks, but, either fate or Dumbledore had stepped in, and they had all found themselves doing things they had enjoyed.

Neville had been assigned to help Professor Sprout in the greenhouses, a rare stroke of luck for the boy, thanks to his family's background, and his own personal green thumb. By the end of the two weeks, he was almost begging for a chance to stay in the greenhouses. Hogwarts had many incredible magical plants that simply could not be found in many other places in Britain.

Susan had probably gotten the shortest end of the straw serving detentions with McGonagall, or so the others thought. The girl had been forbidden to speak of what happened in the Deputy Headmistress' office, but she had seemed oddly happy at the end of each detention. "D'ya think McGonagall drugged her or something?" Selene whispered to Hannah after one of the sessions, to which Hannah only replied,

" _Professor_ McGonagall, Selene."

Hannah was stuck helping Madam Pomfrey in the medical wing. Thankfully, it was only the third month of the year, and very few people came in injured, and, instead, she spent most of the time learning about various potions and ingredients instead, which she claimed to be a live-saver for Snape's class. The vampiric man seemed incredulous about the girl's approval, but thanks to the presence of Susan, said nothing.

Selene, however, had a very... _different_ detention. Snape had wanted to take points and have her cleaning the rooms without magic, while Professor Sprout had wanted to award points and skip the detention entirely. Professor McGonagall had objected to both, stating that while Selene had done an amazing feat and displayed excellent house bonds, she had also done so by ignoring teacher's orders and putting herself - and other students - in danger.

Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice broke the debate. "Miss Potter will be serving her two weeks of detention with me. Although I do believe that Miss Potter should also recieve 25 points for her bravery, as well as her spell-casting abilities." The other three heads of houses had gone silent. 25 points would put Hufflepuff into second place from third, pushing down Flitwick's own house.

The Head of the Lions quickly confirmed that the other two were fine with it and approved.

* * *

For Selene's first detention, she walked into Professor Flitwick's classroom at exactly 18:00:00. Classes had already ended by then, and the center of the room had been voided of desks. "Ah, Miss Potter! Punctual, it seems. You're like your mother in that sense." Selene's eyes focused on the professor, remembering his comment about her mother in September.

"You knew my mother, Professor?"

"Yes, yes, I taught her back when she was at Hogwarts. A natural at Charms, that she was. A natural at most forms of magic, actually. But we are here for you, Miss Potter." Selene was reminded of her detention.

"Yes, sir. What shall I be doing?"

"That, Miss Potter, depends entirely on what we do tonight." Professor Flitwick responded.

"I beg your pardon, Professor?"

"Well, Miss Potter, I am eager to see your skills for myself after your bout with the troll last night," Selene tried to interrupt and say she hadn't done much, but the Ravenclaw Head continued on without pause. "So, if you defeat me in a duel tonight, you will not have to do any work in these detentions." Selene thought for a second.

"And if I refuse, sir?"

"Then we will go about detention as normal."

"That doesn't seem like much of a deal to me..." Selene muttered, making the Professor laugh.

"Exactly, Miss Potter. Now, do you know proper dueling etiquette?" The two then spent several minutes going over basic dueling rules. Afterwards, Selene felt herself grow confident. Her magic rating was over 1100! Surely that meant something. The duel quickly went underway.

"Begin!" Came Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice. Selene immediately lifted her wand arm to fire her first spell and the Professor, shouting, " _Rictusempra_!" The Tickling Charm was among the first that Selene had learned, but of course, she had shot it towards the school's Charms Professor, who had taught it to her. He replied with a quick countercurse that Selene could not hear, but while she was focused on that, the teacher pointed his wand at her, and before she knew it, she had dropped her wand, her hand letting go of it without her control.

Immediately, she knew the duel had ended. Picking up her wand, Selene asked, "What was that, Professor? I didn't hear you say anything." Professor Flitwick smiled.

"Very keen ears, Miss Potter. That was a wordless version of a normal spell, _Relashio_. Relashio makes the target drop what they are holding, in this case, it was your wand. You do not need to harm your enemy to defeat them, just make them unable to fight back. Unless the other wizard is adept at wandless magic, they would have to take a second to retrieve their wand. That makes a wizard's wand both their greatest weapon _and weakness_." Selene stared at the wall, coincidentally at the same shelf as before.

The plaques of the trophies were still blurry. Not like they hadn't been dusted, but as if they were intentionally modified. She focused on the plaques, unknowingly channeling magic into her eyes, boosting her vision, and suddenly, as if the blurriness had been removed, she could read the words. Her head whipped around to the Professor, who was smiling.

"You were a dueling champion, Professor Flitwick?" This shocked her, although based on the most recent experience, after a few seconds, she could believe it. The short professor beamed and nodded.

"Yes, Miss Potter! You are by far the youngest student to have ever seen through my charms on there, although they _have_ deteriorated slightly over time. Before it was cancelled, I also used to lead the Dueling Club here at Hogwarts."

"The Dueling Club, Professor?"

"Yes, Miss Potter! We had the Dueling Club up until the middle of the war with You-Know-Who, when it was cancelled by the Ministry, who were worried that we were teaching future Death Eaters how to fight against us." Selene was shocked.

"But that was over a decade ago! How have they still not reinstated it?" Flitwick smiled sadly.

"Unfortunately, the Ministry can be very slow with things that they find unimportant." Selene hadn't met any members of the Ministry of Magic yet, however, with the way Flitwick and Griphook had talked about it, she didn't find herself in any hurry to do so.

"Would... you teach me how to duel, Professor?" The man stared at her, suddenly making her feel very insecure. "It's just that, everyone is expecting me to be some amazing savior of the world as if I had somehow defeated a Dark Lord in a fair duel instead of out of pure luck and I just want to be able to defend myself and my friends and I-" Selene's rambling was cut off by the Professor's laugh.

"Miss Potter, I'd be delighted to teach you dueling. In fact, that was the main purpose of today, to see what type of attitude you would have towards the sport." Selene's mouth opened in a perfect "O".

* * *

The next twelve days for each student were not as much of a detention as one would think. Out of the four, Neville and Hannah excitedly told their friends their going-ons, while Susan said that McGonagall had forbidden her from speaking about her detentions, and Selene decided to keep her dueling sessions private. As Draco had told her from one of their various encounters, it was better to have a few secrets up your sleeve.

However, for their last night of detention, the four were grouped together with Hagrid. They would be looking for something in the Forbidden Forest, presumably in an effort to scare them straight, as Snape would probably say.

The four trudged down to Hagrid's hut as the sun was starting to set. "I can't believe we're going to be going into the Forbidden Forest at night..." Hannah spoke to Susan, but loud enough for the rest to hear. "I mean, isn't it forbidden for a reason?"

"We'll have the protection of a teacher -"

"- who can't use magic -" Selene supplied helpfully, making Hannah and Neville glare at her.

"- and there's likely to be nothing to be afraid of in the forest anyway."

* * *

"There is something murdering unicorns?!" Susan, Neville, and Hannah shouted in unison.

"Unicorns actually exist?" Was Selene's only reaction.

"Ye', and as ye' all know, 't takes a rea' bad person t'be killin' unicorns."

"And they're sending first years after this monster?" Selene failed to see the logic in that.

"Y'all aren't gonna be alone, o' course! Fang an' I'll be wit' ya'!" He pointed to the dog that he had just told them was harmless. "Anyway, we're goin' to be splittin' up into groups-" Hagrid was cut off by Susan.

"Hold on! There is something in the woods murdering pure-hearted animals... and we, four first years and a teacher, are going to find it... _in groups_?"

Hagrid looked properly abashed. "An' Fang..."

"Didn't you just say Fang was a big softie?" This didn't seem very well planned out to any of the four kids.

"Aye... how about we all go in'ter it together? That oughta be safer!" Hagrid seemed particularly proud of his choice.

And that was how, thirty minutes later, the group of five plus Fang, were wandering through the forest. Selene found herself in the back, and trailing further and further behind. She didn't know why, but even when she ran, she couldn't catch up. None of them looked back to check on her, either. She could still hear Hagrid's voice crystal clear, but it was almost like they couldn't hear hers.

She started to struggle to walk quickly, and stopped for a second to catch her breath. But... when she looked up, the other four had disappeared entirely. "Hagrid!" She called. "Susan! Neville! Hannah!" She tried, with no response coming to any. She started to hyperventilate, all of the memories that she had tried so hard to repress when she came into the wizarding world coming back.

Her fears of being forgotten, of being left behind... Of being too slow to outrun Dudley and his bully gang... Of being 'too ugly' to hang out with the rest of the kids at lunch... all of the sudden, Selene didn't want to walk as much, anymore. She just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry. She sat down on the trunk of a fallen tree.

Ever since she had come into the forest, she had felt like she had dozens of eyes on her. She could never see anyone else, though. As she sat down with tears starting to drip from her eyes, the feeling came back. She slowly looked up... into eight red eyes staring back at her, and she screamed, scrambling backwards until there was no more log to fall back on, and she started rolling down a hill she hadn't ever known existed.

* * *

Hagrid suddenly stopped, making Neville bump into his back. "Where's Selene gone off to?" He asked as he turned around. Hannah seemed confused by the question, replying,

"What do you mean? Selene is ri..." She trailed off as she turned all the way around and noticed the absence of her female companion behind her. At that moment, as fate would have it, they heard a scream... coming from the deepest part of the woods.

"Blimey..." Hagrid muttered, then starting running towards the source.

* * *

 _Flitwick's Notes_

 _Miss Potter is an extraordinary soul with a keen eye for certain things. Dueling seems to be one of them! I can not wait to teach the young lady proper dueling_ _techniques - she may even be the key to reinstating the dueling club here at Hogwarts! However... Albus seems to have his eye on her. The last time he monitored a student this closely, I don't believe it ended well. I hope she is safe, both for her sake... and ours._

* * *

 **Welcome to my take of the journey into the Forbidden Forest! Yes, these detentions were all very well suited for each individual, and if enough of you want me to, I'll see what I can do about telling the other three about Susan's detentions with McGonagall... but no promises! The end here was just a little reminder that, although Selene may seem strong, and metamorhpmagism may be an amazing ability, but she was still tormented for a decade, and that will leave lasting impacts on the human psyche. And, even if it didn't, she's an eleven year old girl alone in a MAGICAL (hint onto how any of this is possible) AND DANGEROUS FOREST... I'd say that qualifies for some "cry-time"...**


End file.
